Wednesday, December 13, 2017

And it's not Christian Yelich, but I gotta tell ya, if I'm him, I ask them to ship me out of Miami A.S.A.P.

The Marlins are stripping the franchise down to the studs, and when I say "studs", it's not the baseball term you're thinking of. I mean they are stripping this team down to nothing, and then start building back up.

(July 20, 2017 - Source: Joe Robbins/Getty Images North America)

And again, If I'm Yelich... if I'm Bour, I'm asking to be next, because you don't wanna be on that Marlins team right now... it's a loser.

Marcell Ozuna was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals today. Another major piece gone, and Miami fans can be up in arms about it, and they should be. ESPN writes:

Photo: Getty Images

"The disbandment of the Miami Marlins roster continues, as the team has traded All-Star left fielder Marcell Ozuna to the St. Louis Cardinals, a source confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday.

(Photo courtesy of Baseball America)

The deal, first reported by SiriusXM, is pending a physical. It is unclear what the Marlins are getting in return, but right-handed pitching prospect Sandy Alcantara will be included in the deal, according to multiple reports."

Jeter and the rest of that Marlins team have a plan, and they don't care if they're hated. Can they turn it around? I'm gonna say no. Or, better yet... I'm gonna say not for a long, long time. You need star power to build around, and they just don't have that anymore.

This week has already been a world wind and it's only Wednesday. After conferring with longtime Yankee fan and uncle from Staten Island on Tuesday evening, it is clear that the Yankees surely have options in the outfield as Giancarlo Stanton is certainly not what one would call as a typical designated hitter. He has too much to give athletically. But what if I told you that the Yankees are attracting similar duplicative third base talent to the Bronx and this talent could come directly from our rivals in the AL East.

Source: Mike Stobe/Getty Images North America

According to CBS Sports, despite the likelihood that Todd Frazier will sign with the Yankees because of his passion for being a Yankee, nothing is a guarantee and the Yankees could want more from the corner infield position. That something more could in fact be Josh Donaldson.

Source: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images North America

"The 32-year-old former MVP missed 49 games last season, but still posted his usual monstrous offensive numbers. He's no longer a Gold Glove-quality third baseman, but still profiles as a plus defender who would also make New York's lineup even more terrifying," reported CBS Sports.

Source: Brian Blanco/Getty Images North America

There is another worthy third baseman who could trade his fins for pinstripes this spring. Evan "Longoria rated as a top-five defender at his position in 2017 and could see his numbers perk up considerably away from Tropicana Field, a ballpark that absolutely squashes right-handed power hitters," reported CBS Sports. Could Longoria and some of his teammates leave Tampa for something more? Sure anything could happen, but much like the deal that brought former NY Mets Daniel Murphy to division rival Washington Nationals, these deals could prove to be bite Toronto and Tampa Bay respectively in the butt.

Source: Newsday

Anyway you look at it, the Yankees are attracting more talent to the Bronx in 2018 and that's alright with me. We are only in the pre-heat mode of hot stove season with plenty more moves to come, perhaps even later today. Stay tuned - we certainly are.

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

And just like that, Chase Headley is headed back to the Padres where he used to play. Bryan Mitchell is gone too. That is brought to us by multiple sources, but we'll give the coverage to the New York Post here:

"The Yankees have dealt Chase Headley and Bryan Mitchell to the Padres for outfielder Jabari Blash, The Post’s Joel Sherman reports.
The trade of Headley opens third base for perhaps a Todd Frazier reunion or for top prospect Gleyber Torres, who missed most of last season following Tommy John surgery, and helps the Yankees’ pursuit of getting underneath the luxury-tax threshold. Headley had $13 million left on his contract...

Photo: SI

Mitchell, a 26-year-old starter and reliever, has shuffled between the majors and minors the last few seasons. In four years, mostly out of the bullpen, he has a 4.94 ERA in 98 1/3 innings."

David Hahn/Icon Sportswire

Yanks get Blash. You can review his stats if you click on his name. Not much there, but the big reason for this trade was unloading Headley. Blash could develop over time.

CC Sabathia is a free agent. And I hate that, because it means teams are looking at him and while that's great for him, I love him in pinstripes and I really hope Brian Cashman and the Yankees can see the value in a reinvented Sabathia and re-sign the guy. Seems like a no brainer to me.

Source: Mike Stobe/Getty Images North America

George King III has tweeted this about our big lug:

CC Sabathia and the Angels have held discussions about him signing with them as a free agent

Now don't forget, they have Shohei Ohtani now too, plus Mike Trout, plus Albert Pujols and they won 80 games last season, second place in their division with room to move up easily. CC could be a nice piece for them.

Monday, December 11, 2017

It was a big deal to see Giancarlo Stanton in pinstripes today. None of us really thought this would happen. I mean, it was mapped out. Stanton had a 'framework' in place with either the Giants or the Cardinals. And then... suddenly, he didn't and the next thing we knew the Marlins and the Yankees were making a deal.

First things first. I loved Starlin Castro on the Yankees. He was a lot of fun to watch, it looked like he really liked being a Yankee and it was great when he was in the Bronx. But after the Marlins traded Dee Gordon, it was the right move and helped us too. They got Castro, Jorge Guzman and Jose Devers, and we got Stanton. I was hoping for Martin Prado too, but hey, you can't always get what you want.

Stanton passed his physical and was introduced to the media today. He spoke fondly of the team that he can now call his own. Here's some of that brought to you by the New York Post:

“'Watching them from afar, their young, dynamic group and the way they flow together,' Stanton said. 'The atmosphere, storied franchise. There’s not much reason why I wouldn’t want to be there.' Stanton and Aaron Judge both play right field, and new manager Aaron Boone will have to come up with an outfield rotation that right now also would include Brett Gardner and Aaron Hicks, with Clint Frazier on the outskirts. Stanton said he and the team have not discussed what the plan will be, but he is open to whatever would help the team.
Stanton said he did speak with Judge over the weekend after it became clear Stanton to the Yankees was happening. 'We respect each other’s game and had fun at the Home Run Derby,' Stanton said. 'We spoke a couple of days ago, excited to work together, learn from each other and make each other better.' "